Swedish Olympia Nils van der Poel gives away Beijing 2022 gold to protest against China’s abuse

Nils van der Poel

The 2022 Beijing Olympics champion Nils van der Poel has set an example to world leaders by giving away his gold medal to earmark a protest against human rights violations in China.

The Swedish speed skater finished on top of the podium at Beijing 2022 5,000m and 10,000 race events. He handed over the men’s 10,000m speed skating medal to Angela Gui, whose father Gui Minhai is a bookseller imprisoned in China on unsubstantiated “spying” charges.

“Nils van der Poel was a sporting champion at the Olympics, and today he is a champion of human rights. His brave decision to take a stand against China’s crackdown on freedom of expression should spur governments into action on this urgent issue,” said Alkan Akad, Amnesty International’s China Researcher.

FS Video

“While China uses the Olympic and Paralympic Games to burnish its global image, millions suffer from its human rights violations: the Uyghurs held in internment camps; the sexual abuse survivors targeted for speaking up; or those like Gui Minhai who have been jailed simply for advocating views the government does not like.”

“Am not the voice of all Olympians”

The Trollhättan native Nils stated that he lives to strive for excellence within sports but the Chinese government uses this as a political weapon to legitimize their regime.

“I am not the voice of all Olympians, but me and my friends dedicated our lives to strive for excellence within sports, and the Chinese government chose to use our dreams as a political weapon to legitimize their regime. To me that was personal, and I felt exploited,” van der Poel said.

He added: “I wish for the human rights issues in China to improve and for Gui Minhai to be set free. It’s a lot to ask but it is the only reasonable thing to ask.”

Also Read | NBC Universal draws worst Olympics ratings at Beijing 2022